Blame it on Ms. Brooks. After Christmas break, we sixth graders at West End Elementary in Milledgeville came back to school to find a new English teacher. They never told us what happened to Ms. Russell, but Ms. Brooks greeted us in January.

I hope the Super Bowl is not a blow-out. I like watching a close game, or seeing a great comeback victory. The Seattle-Green Bay playoff game was a classic. The Seattle Seahawks, plagued by turnovers, were down 19-14 with around four minutes to go.

I visited the dentist last week and commented to my hygienist about the timing of my appointment. I’m getting my teeth cleaned right after eating all these Christmas sweets. My mouth must be full of sugar. Thankfully, no cavities, but one thing led to another.

In September, the Marshfield, Massachusetts, School Committee voted 3-2 to change “Christmas Break” to “Holiday Break.” The traditionalists didn’t take too kindly to that action. So more than 4,000 residents signed a petition asking the committee to reconsider.

On Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28, NASA launched its unmanned rocket Antares that was tasked with bringing supplies to the International Space Station. Six seconds after take-off, Antares suffered a “catastrophic anomaly” and exploded.

A lady became ill and checked into the hospital for tests. The results came back and the doctor walked into her room and said, “Ma’am, I’m afraid I have some bad news. You have rabies. You better make out your will as soon as possible.”

There’s a debate happening on some internet blogs about the two missionaries who contracted Ebola while serving in Liberia. Dr. Kent Brantly, serving through Samaritans Purse, and Nancy Writebol, a nurse serving with SIM, were airlifted home and treated at Emory Hospital.